Just last September, a foul ball hit a young girl in the head at Yankee Stadium, inciting calls for more netting.

Author:
12 News

Published:
8:46 PM MST January 31, 2018

Updated:
8:46 PM MST January 31, 2018

Arizona Diamondbacks fans may soon be the safest in Major League Baseball.

The team announced Wednesday that it will extend Chase Field's protective netting to the far end of each dugout for the 2018 season.

A release from the D-Backs said the team was working this offseason to be certain the extensions "will have limited effect on the fan experience while maximizing safety."

There's long been a debate among baseball fans and teams about balancing fan safety with visibility of the game.

Just last September, a foul ball hit a young girl in the head at Yankee Stadium, inciting calls for more netting.

“We have long prided ourselves on providing the most fan-friendly environment in all of sports and at the top of those priorities is safety,” said D-Backs President and CEO Derrick Hall. “Thousands of the best seats in the ballpark behind home plate have always been behind a protective net with no impact to the fan experience and we expect that those who will now have a similar view will find that the same holds true for them.”

The release said Arizona was the first team to extend netting to the home plate side of each dugout at its home field. Now the D-Backs are pushing safety again.